


Nocturne

by magnificentbirb



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Blood and Violence, Cameos from Mingi and Woo but they're brief, M/M, MerMay 2020, Mermaid!San, Mermaids, Sailor!Yunho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:36:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24278239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magnificentbirb/pseuds/magnificentbirb
Summary: Yunho is always surprised by the silence underwater.
Relationships: Choi San/Jeong Yunho
Comments: 22
Kudos: 154





	Nocturne

Yunho is always surprised by the silence underwater.

He stares up at the sunlight filtering through the waves, dim by the time it reaches him, but glittering far above. A trail of bubbles rises in the water around him, tiny air pockets escaping from the folds of his clothes, the creases of his skin, his slightly parted lips. He feels strangely calm as he sinks, deeper, deeper, the water growing colder, his fingertips growing numb. His lungs feel like stone, and he wonders with distant curiosity when their stale air will finally demand to be replaced.

A shadow appears above him, lithe and graceful, descending in gentle spirals through the water, refracting light in dazzling patterns. Yunho recognizes the silhouette, and his heart grows warm in his chest. His eyes prickle and his lips part automatically, forming the shape of a name. Bubbles escape instead, briefly blocking his vision, and then the silhouette is closer, close enough for Yunho to make out a long silvery tail, edged with delicate, fluttering fins; an elegant neck and broad shoulders, tapering into a narrow waist; light hair, limned by sunlight, fanning around a face Yunho cannot see but knows— _knows_ —is breathtakingly beautiful.

Yunho reaches for the silhouette and is startled by how eerily pale his own skin is against the deep blue of the water. He tries to speak again and only manages to release another stream of bubbles on a single muffled syllable.

Cool hands cup his cheeks, and Yunho can finally feel his lungs starting to scream, desperate for air. He wants to inhale, wants to scrunch his eyes shut and let himself be taken by the deep, but he forces himself to watch as the shadow leans closer, revealing high cheekbones and pretty lips and silver scales and eyes so dark that Yunho thinks he could drown in them.

His hands catch hold of a narrow waist, and that lovely face comes closer, forehead pressing against his own. Yunho closes his eyes, numb fingers tightening on scaled skin. He feels the gentle sweep of a thumb over his cheek.

Lips press against his own, whisper soft at first, and then deeper, coaxing Yunho’s mouth open. Yunho exhales on instinct, and before his aching, empty lungs can even panic, he feels a rush of water pass his lips, racing ice-cold down his throat, into his lungs, where it settles like shards, agonizing. His body shudders, trying to repel the water, to break for the surface, to _breathe_ , but the hands on his cheeks only tighten, and the kiss continues, and then suddenly, miraculously, Yunho inhales, and— 

His lungs expand.

Yunho opens his eyes, shocked, and the lovely face pulls away. Those pretty lips curl into a soft smile that makes Yunho’s heart ache, and then with a great flick of that beautiful tail, the silhouette slips from Yunho’s grasp and swirls away, vanishing into the darkness. 

Yunho reaches, and chokes, and once again calls a name that dies in the deep water— 

—and lurches awake in his own bed, panting and sweat-soaked.

*

Yunho was eight years old when he almost drowned.

He remembers it clearly, can play it like an old film reel in his mind. He remembers the sensation of teetering on the edge of the dinghy just before toppling into the waves. He remembers the way the water rushed up to meet him, frighteningly cold. He remembers the way he clapped his hands over his mouth to prevent himself from sucking in seawater, and how he realized only afterwards that his arms could have been better used for paddling in an attempt to find the surface, but as it was, he just started to sink.

He remembers how quiet it was, below the water. How dark and peaceful. He remembers the bubbles, and the shadows, and then the gradual, strangely calm realization: _I am going to die._

And then he remembers a silvery flash, and dark eyes, and soft hands covering his own. He remembers the gentle tilt of a curious, flaxen-haired head, and then those soft hands hooking beneath his arms, and the sudden rush of water past his ears, faster than he’d ever felt before.

He thinks he blacked out a little, then, because the next thing he knew, his head was above the water, and there was sand beneath his knees, and he was being pushed gently yet firmly out of the waves. He remembers gasping for breath, fighting the undertow, being helped along by an unseen force.

Then Yunho was on land, lying on his side, shivering in the wet sand and the dark. He remembers cracking his eyes open and peering back into the water and seeing that lovely blond head, barely peeking out above the waves, watching him with curious, concerned dark eyes, hair wet and shining.

“W-wait,” Yunho said, forcing himself up onto an elbow. “Can you understand me?”

He remembers how the eyes slid to the side briefly, nervously, as though unsure how to answer, and then a soft, high voice called back, “Yes.”

Yunho’s heart tripped. He struggled into a sitting position, wrapping his arms around himself to try and stop the shivering.

“Thank you,” he said, gritting his teeth a bit so they wouldn’t chatter when he said it; he wanted his thanks to be as clear as possible, since this creature—this young merman, who had to be no older than him—had just saved his life. “M-my name’s Yunho. What’s yours?”

The merman bobbed a bit lower in the water, his lips dipping briefly, nervously, beneath the waves, but then he surfaced again and called back a single syllable that Yunho would remember for the rest of his life: “San.”

“Thank you, San.” Yunho’s chest felt warm, a stark contrast to the rest of his body. He could see lights approaching from further down the beach, could hear familiar voices calling his name. He remembers the moment when San heard the voices, too; he remembers the fear that appeared on that lovely face, and he remembers calling, his teeth still chattering, “You should hide before they get here. It might not be safe.”

San hesitated for a moment, and then he nodded and disappeared beneath the waves.

Yunho watched the dark water for a moment, his heart fluttering, and then he called out to his family, ready to be found.

He told exactly one other person about his encounter, days later: his best friend, Hongjoong.

Yunho remembers clearly the way Hongjoong’s eyes widened as he described the beautiful silver-scaled boy, the way Hongjoong’s mouth dropped open into a little _o_. He remembers expecting incredulity, perhaps some concern that Yunho had struck his head on the dinghy on his way overboard and was only imagining things.

Instead, Hongjoong asked the last question Yunho would have expected: “What was his name?”

To which Yunho replied, startled, “San,” and Hongjoong’s eyes glittered, round and awestruck. He grabbed Yunho’s hands, squeezed them excitedly between his own.

“They must live in groups,” he breathed, and then he told Yunho about the dark-haired merman he’d met the summer before, a soft-spoken boy with an indigo tail named Seonghwa.

*

When Hongjoong turned nineteen, he purchased a ship—a caravel he named the _Wonderland_ , easily manned by a few of their close friends—and Yunho joined him at sea. They made a comfortable living running spices and silks up and down the coast, but it didn’t take long for them to discover their true calling: collecting bounties on illegal mermaid hunters. 

It was a moral quest for much of their crew, but a personal one for Yunho and Hongjoong, and after a few years at sea, they became quite adept at it.

Always in their travels they kept an eye out for a certain familiar pod of merfolk, and it’s on a clear summer morning when they’re trailing a distant ship of hunters that Wooyoung calls down from the crow’s nest that a pod has been spotted nearby, within sight along the coastline. Yunho, after meeting Hongjoong’s excited gaze, quietly makes his way belowdecks.

One of the _Wonderland_ ’s many secrets lies in the hold, near her bow. It’s a Song Mingi original, a lovely series of hanging chimes, affixed with sturdy fishing line and hooked up to a makeshift gramophone attached to the outer hull of the ship, designed to project the sound of the chimes out into the water. Yunho approaches the chimes, draws a gentle finger across them. They hum quietly, a low harmony. The sound automatically makes Yunho’s chest warm, brings back memories of a dimpled smile and blond hair and silvery scales. He lets out a low breath, picks up the little bronze mallet Yeosang found in a thrift shop a while back, and chimes out a familiar melody, a secret code agreed upon years ago.

And then… he waits.

Yunho keeps an eye on the porthole beside the chimes, watching the shadowy water beyond the glass. He sits on a nearby overturned crate, letting his right knee bounce anxiously. If there’s silence in response to the chimes, then this is business as usual, and they’ll help out this pod of unknown merfolk if they need it, continue to keep an eye on the nearby hunters, and go on their merry way. 

If there’s a tap on the glass, well… they’ll get to see _their_ pod. But it would also mean that their pod is the one potentially being hunted, in danger of the hunters’ nets, of harpoons, of being injured and reeled in and drugged and sold to the highest bidder.

It hasn’t happened yet. And Yunho would give anything to keep it that way.

A gentle rap on the glass of the porthole makes Yunho startle slightly, and when he catches sight of the familiar smiling face beyond the window, his heart swells even as his stomach sinks.

“Hi,” he breathes, even though he knows that San won’t hear him, but the smile that breaks across San’s beautiful face when he sees Yunho’s lips form that word makes it worth it. San presses a hand to the porthole, delicate webbed fingers splayed. Yunho leans forward and presses his palm to the cool glass, so they’re hand to hand. San’s shoulders shake in a little giggle as he flexes his fingers, so much shorter than Yunho’s. San points upwards then, cocking an eyebrow inquisitively, and Yunho nods, still smiling.

 _They have to know_ , he tells himself as he makes his way above deck, taking two steps at a time. _They’re smart, they pay attention, they have to know they could be in danger._

Hongjoong meets him at the top of the stairs.

“It’s them, isn’t it?” he says. It’s barely a question.

Yunho nods. “They’ll be starboard.”

Hongjoong heads for the starboard rail, Yunho on his heels. Yunho’s heart is racing; he’s thrilled to see San, excited to see Seonghwa and Jongho, but he’s also a bit breathless with fear at what could have happened if the _Wonderland_ hadn’t been docked nearby. What if they’d chosen to tail a different crew of hunters that morning? What if the pod didn’t know they were being hunted, were any less careful than they usually are? _What if—?_

“What are you doing here?”

Seonghwa’s voice greets them as soon as they step up to the rail, soft, deep, melodious. His voice rings out quietly over the sound of waves breaking on the hull, just loud enough for them to hear on the deck, but no louder; Seonghwa knows better than to call too much attention to themselves during their meetings.

Yunho knows that Hongjoong is just as anxious as he is, but even fear can’t keep the warmth from Hongjoong’s eyes as he leans over the rail and grins down at the three heads peering up at them, two dark-haired, one a flaxen blond.

“Oh, you know. Just thought we’d swing by, say hello,” he calls back.

Yunho sees Seonghwa make a face, clearly trying not to look too amused. Seonghwa slicks his dark hair back from his forehead, the morning sunlight glinting off of the iridescent indigo scales on his wrists, his neck; it’s at times like these when Yunho understands how Hongjoong fell in love at first sight.

And that thought draws Yunho’s gaze to San, who is currently hanging off of Jongho’s shoulders, his cheek pressed to Jongho’s temple, silver scales against black and gold.

“You’re worried about the hunters, aren’t you?” San calls, and Yunho’s pulse flutters at the sound of his voice. It’s been almost seven months since he’s heard it, but he remembers every cadence, every lilting, musical syllable.

“No, we’re worried about you,” Yunho calls back.

San’s dark eyes meet his own, and Yunho raises his eyebrows, challenging. 

“We know they’re there,” Jongho says. “We’re being careful. We’re helping out another pod, one of their family is injured.”

Hongjoong frowns. “You’re taking them to Eden?”

“That was the plan.” Seonghwa looks a bit grim, his brow darkening. “But the hunters intercepted us, so we’re going the long way around.”

“Where’s the other pod now?” Hongjoong asks.

“A bit further out to sea.” San lifts his chin, indicating a vaguely westward direction. “We didn’t want to risk them this close to shore when we knew there might be hunters around.”

Hongjoong lets out a quiet sigh. His hand tightens around the hilt of the sword at his waist.

“You need any help?” he asks. “Cover? A distraction? An escort?”

Seonghwa smiles, and Yunho watches with amusement as Hongjoong’s ears turn bright red.

“An escort would be lovely, if you don’t mind,” Seonghwa says.

“We can do that,” Hongjoong says. “West, right? We’ll adjust our path.”

“Lovely!” San chirps out, clearly poking fun at them both, and Hongjoong mutters as he turns away from the rail, but not before Yunho sees his smile.

“San-ah,” Yunho calls down, his heart thumping.

San meets his eye, looking mischievous. “Coming down?”

Yunho’s breath catches, and lord, apparently months apart has not made him any less infatuated.

“Usual spot,” he says, unable to keep from grinning, despite the danger, despite the hunters, despite the fact that he can already hear Hongjoong calling for Mingi to adjust the sails, for Yeosang to help them turn about.

San returns his grin, and Yunho has to tear himself away from the rail so he can barrel down the stairs, all the way below deck and back to the stern, down to the little custom window Hongjoong installed for just this purpose.

Yunho unhooks the latch and tugs the little window open, and he can’t help but grin when he sees San already there, streaming seawater as he props himself up on the sill, blond hair slicked back and silver scales glimmering in the sunlight.

“Hi,” Yunho breathes, his face warm, heart fluttering. He sits on the little stool beside the window, close enough that he can lean on the sill and run a gentle hand over the soft, silvery scales glinting on San’s arm.

San leans in, a coy smile on his lips. “Hi,” he says, eyelashes dipping low.

Yunho lets out a shuddery breath. He gently tucks his knuckles beneath San’s chin, lifts his head. He leans in, takes a moment to gaze at San’s beautiful face, soft skin and dark lashes and gleaming scales, and then he presses his lips to San’s, just a gentle kiss, saltwater and warmth. Yunho inhales automatically, his chest swelling, and San presses upwards, deepening the kiss. His lips part, and Yunho slides a hand along San’s jawline and into his hair, skimming over a braid, burying his fingers in light, wet strands.

“Are you—you’re okay like this?” Yunho says, breathless. “You can breathe okay?”

He feels San smile against his lips.

“Always so concerned,” San says quietly. He traces a finger down Yunho’s forearm, cool and soft, leaving goosebumps in his wake. “I’ll be fine, it’s barely been a minute.” He leans in for another kiss, and Yunho happily obliges, his fingers tightening in San’s hair, holding him close. He feels the sharp edge of a gill beneath his palm, but he keeps from asking again; San knows his limits, and this isn’t exactly the first time they’ve used this window. 

“How’ve you been?” San asks eventually, once they’ve calmed a little bit. His cheeks are slightly flushed, his lips pink and eyes glittering, and Yunho’s heart feels like it might leap from his chest. 

“Fine.” He strokes a thumb over San’s cheekbone, brushing against silvery scales and soft skin. “Busy, but fine. You?”

“Also fine.” San smiles, folding his arms on the sill and leaning forward, dripping water onto Yunho’s thighs. “I don’t think I can stay here for too long, though. Seonghwa wants me back with the other pod. We promised we’d protect them, and you know how Jongho fusses when we’re not all together.”

“He just wants to keep you safe.”

“Yeah, well, it makes him grumpy.”

Yunho bites back a smile; he remembers very well how Jongho used to disapprove of his podmates always trying to meet up with human sailors, convinced that it was too dangerous and more risk than it was worth. It took years and a bit of mutual life-saving one stormy night for Jongho to grudgingly admit that he might actually rather like the humans his podmates have become attached to, and ever since then, he’s basically adopted the whole crew into his family.

“Do you have any messages for the rest of the crew?” Yunho asks.

San reaches for his left ear and removes the earring dangling there, a shimmering opalescent pearl affixed to a fishing hook. “This is for Wooyoung. He asked me to make him one a while back, but it took me a few of your months to find a pearl nice enough to keep.”

“I’m sure he’ll love it,” Yunho says with a smile, holding out his hand; San drops the earring onto his palm.

“And Seonghwa told me to let Hongjoong know that once we’ve lost the hunters and seen the pod on their way to Eden, he’ll be waiting at the kelp cove.” San shrugs. “So I assume that’s where they’ll fu—” 

“Okay!” Yunho quickly gets to his feet, shoving that image far from his mind. He can feel his cheeks burning, can see San grinning at him, dimpled and teasing. “I’ll let Hongjoong know. Anything else?”

San leans forward once more, eyebrows lifting, tail flicking gracefully just outside the window.

“Kiss me one more time?” he says.

And Yunho can’t say no.

*

They’re not always lucky, though, when it comes to hunters, or their own reunions.

Sometimes it comes to a fight. 

Sometimes it comes to rain lashing down in the middle of the night, soaking them all to their bones. Sometimes it comes to Yunho losing track of how long he’s been on this longboat, of how many shots he’s fired, how many men he’s watched fall into the sea. The ocean is midnight black all around them, lit only by the weak flicker of lantern light from the distant deck of the _Wonderland_. Yunho’s eyes catch the sleek shimmer of indigo scales on the surface of the water, Seonghwa preparing for another attack on one of the hunters’ many longboats. Yunho sees one of the hunters lift a harpoon gun, aiming for the movement in the water, and in no time Yunho has lifted his own gun and fired. He watches with a dark sense of satisfaction that he tries not to dwell on overmuch as the hunter falls back with a cry, harpoon gun falling into the sea, quickly lost beneath the churning waves.

Screams echo across the water as another of the hunters’ longboats capsizes entirely, shoved from beneath by strong, black-and-gold scaled hands. Yunho watches with wide eyes and a frantically thudding heart as the capsized hunters—only four, others already lost to bullets or merfolk or the sea—bob to the surface, treading water and calling out to each other, and then, one by one, accompanied by garbled, choked-off screams and the deadly flash of beautiful, scaled tails, are yanked beneath the water. The sea starts to foam around the capsized longboat, bubbles stained dark and thick with blood.

Yunho forces himself to look away.

He blinks rain from his eyes, hears the crack of Yeosang’s rifle beside him, the splash of another hunter toppling into the water, a terrified scream as another man is dragged from a boat, familiar silver-scaled claws sunk deep into his skin. Both San and the hunter disappear beneath the surface, and Yunho’s throat closes on a panicked scream as blood blooms from beneath the waves.

“San-ah,” he says, feeling rather faint, shoving past Yeosang to the edge of the longboat, but Yeosang loops an arm around his chest and tugs him back.

“Wait,” Yeosang says through gritted teeth, voice low against the screams and the waves and the pouring rain. “You’re no good to him underwater, you can’t—”

A harpoon shot goes off, sinking at speed into the roiling, bloodstained water, and Yunho’s heart lurches into his throat.

“ _SAN!_ ” he screams, tearing out of Yeosang’s grip, He barely notices when Yeosang releases him to fire off a shot, sending the hunter with the harpoon gun reeling into the sea where a livid Jongho waits, surfacing just long enough for Yunho to catch a glimpse of gleaming dark eyes and bared, bloodstained teeth, before they both disappear beneath the seething waves, black and gold claws lodged deep in the hunter’s throat.

Yunho—exhausted, panicked, and terrified—considers for a brief, idiotic moment diving into the water himself to find San, but then he hears Yeosang gasp, and suddenly the longboat tips dangerously to one side, weighed down by a strong, indigo-scaled arm.

“Take him,” says Seonghwa, his voice strained, and Yunho’s blood turns to ice as he stares at them in horror, Seonghwa with one arm looped securely around San’s torso, lifting him half out of the water. San’s skin is dark with gore, staining his light hair, his silvery scales, but it’s the deep gash in his side that has Yunho scrambling across the longboat, taking San carefully from Seonghwa’s arms, heaving his dead weight gingerly over the edge of the boat so he can lie in the shallow pool of rain- and seawater between the seats.

“San-ah,” Yunho breathes, kneeling beside San as Seonghwa slips away from the boat, letting it settle in the water again. San doesn’t respond, but his brow crinkles, and he lets out a low moan, curling slightly on the floor of the longboat. His blood swirls in the water around him.

“Can you stop the bleeding?” Seonghwa asks.

“I’ll try.” Yunho strips off his rain-soaked jacket and crumples it before pressing it lightly, tentatively, to San’s injury, and then, with a muttered apology, he presses harder.

San’s eyes fly open, pupils wide, teeth bared in an inhuman hiss, and he lashes out, catching Yunho’s cheek with the sharp claws on his left hand. 

Yunho flinches as his head whips to the side; the pain doesn’t come immediately, but he feels the warmth of blood oozing down his face, the sting of seawater in the open wounds. He bites his bottom lip, drawing blood, but he refuses to back away, instead pressing down harder on San’s wound, making the merman hiss again, and try to writhe away.

“I’m sorry,” Yunho whispers, blinking back the prickle of tears. “I’m sorry, I know it hurts, I’m just trying to help, okay? I’m sorry, San. I’m—”

“... Yunho?” San’s voice is weak, thready. 

Yunho meets San’s gaze, sees the slow horror of realization cross San’s face. San reaches up with a shaking hand, touches a single fingertip to Yunho’s cheek, just beneath the wounds he carved into Yunho’s skin.

“I’m—Yunho, I’m sorry.” This time it’s San’s turn to say it, his voice trembling, his face crumpling, and Yunho immediately reaches out and gathers him into a tight hug, briefly easing up on the pressure against San’s wound, not even caring that his shirt is immediately soaked with bloody seawater.

“It’s okay,” he says. San clings to him; Yunho feels the sharp prick of San’s nails against his back. “It’s okay, you’re hurt, you didn’t—it’s okay.” Yunho smoothes a hand over San’s hair, buries his face in San’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry.” San hugs him tighter. “I’m so sorry, I—”

“I know.” Yunho lets out a tremulous breath, turns his head to kiss San’s jaw, tasting saltwater. “I know, I’m just—here, let me see.” He pulls away, lifts his jacket slightly, getting a better look at the wound in San’s side. It’s deep, and still bleeding, but doesn’t appear life threatening, thank goodness. “May I—?” He presses gently with the jacket, waiting for San’s permission before he presses down, and is relieved when San gives him a tight nod, clearly steeling himself just before Yunho tries once again to stop the bleeding.

San wraps an arm around Yunho’s shoulders, buries his face against Yunho’s chest, and they remain like that for a few brief, breathless moments, listening to the sounds of the fight drifting away, the screams of the hunters gradually replaced by the familiar calls of Yunho’s crewmates and the constant, chilly drum of the rain.

*

Yunho is always surprised by the silence underwater.

He dreams of it, most nights. Dreams of the time he almost drowned, of the times he’s dived down, down, as deep as he could bear, just to see what it’s like, to test his own lungs, to feel free.

Yunho thinks of that silence as he drifts with San in the shadows of a private cove, treading water as San frolics around him in the russet glow of sunset, fully healed after a few scary weeks, silver scales gleaming. The _Wonderland_ is docked nearby, and San said he wanted to show Yunho something, so Yunho followed, feeling light, somehow. Unfettered. Driftless. 

San swims up to him now, smiling, pressing close.

“Do you trust me?” San asks, his voice soft against Yunho’s neck. 

Yunho nods, tightening his hands around San’s waist. “I trust you.”

San presses his lips to Yunho’s jaw, to the slowly healing scars on his cheek, to the corner of his mouth. 

“Close your eyes,” he whispers, and Yunho frowns slightly, because he doesn’t want to look away from San; every moment he has his eyes closed is a moment wasted, unable to take in San’s ethereal beauty. He opens his mouth to explain this, but San catches him in a firm kiss, all heat and brine; San’s clever tongue presses against Yunho’s, thoroughly distracting him, and Yunho lets out a low moan.

“Please,” San says, his breath warm against Yunho’s lips. “Please close your eyes. Just for a moment.”

“Fine,” Yunho grumbles, half-hearted. “But you’d better still be here when I open them.”

San smiles, kisses him again. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

Yunho catches San by the back of the neck and reels him in for another quick, firm kiss, and then he makes a show of sighing and obediently closing his eyes, which makes San chuckle.

Cool, soft hands cup Yunho’s cheeks, thumbs brushing gently over his lowered eyelashes.

“Trust me,” San says again, barely audible, and then Yunho finds himself pulled gently underwater, entirely submerged in the chilly saltwater of the cove. Yunho forces himself not to panic as he holds his breath, keeping his eyes firmly closed; he told San he trusts him, and he means it. San would never let him drown. So even though they’re still sinking down, even though Yunho can tell through his closed eyes that the water is becoming darker and darker, he forces himself not to fight, not to fear. San still has him. San will keep him safe.

He feels the tender brush of lips on his forehead, and then the hands on his cheeks shift, cupping his jaw, lifting his head. He hears the chirruping melody of San’s native tongue, carrying so much more easily underwater than human sound, speaking one of the words Yunho first learned, many years ago: _Trust._

Yunho nods slowly, still holding his breath; he managed to get a decent gulp of air in before they started to sink, but that air won’t last forever. He hopes it doesn’t come to him needing to push away from San and race to the surface; the last thing he wants right now is to be parted from him.

Yunho feels the press of lips against his own again, coaxing his mouth open, and Yunho realizes with a disorienting flash of deja vu that he has dreamed of this. He reaches up, cups the back of San’s neck, threading his fingers through soft, feathery hair. He deepens the kiss, feels San make a low sound of pleasure against his lips, and then San presses closer, and breathes into Yunho’s mouth, releasing cool air and a tingling sensation that Yunho knows, deep in his gut, can only be magic. His lungs expand, and his chest swells, and he realizes with a jolt that—just like in his dream—he can breathe.

San pulls away, still cupping Yunho’s chin, and releases a series of soft, lovely chirping sounds, a simple phrase that Yunho barely recalls: _Open your eyes._

Yunho slowly opens his eyes, expecting to see only darkness before him, but instead the ocean seems to glow. San’s eyes shine silver in the dark; his light hair forms a soft golden halo around his head; the scales adorning his cheeks, his neck, his tail, all flash a glinting silver. 

And all around them, in the open water, on the rocks and waving kelp fronds and in the flashing flickers of passing fish, glow tiny particles that shine like stars, lighting the ocean into a galaxy that leaves Yunho breathless.

“How—?” he says, or tries to, but the word comes out muffled, his voice barely carrying in the water. 

San smiles at him, then wraps him tightly into a hug, burying his face against Yunho’s neck. Yunho holds him, still a bit shellshocked at the beauty all around him, at the fact that he can _breathe_ , that he can stay here for, presumably, as long as he wants. San barely feels real in his arms, too lovely to be true, and that thought only makes Yunho clutch him tighter, unwilling to let go of this dream.

 _Welcome home_ , San sings into Yunho’s hair, and Yunho is grateful for the saltwater all around them that catches and hides the tears that spring to his eyes.

 _Home_ , he thinks, briefly peering upwards towards the surface, the light wavering distantly above them, turning a burnished gold in the setting sun. He knows this is temporary, knows he cannot stay here forever, but for the moment, at least, he turns his attention back to the deep, back to the merman held safely in his arms, and closes his eyes, losing himself in the glittering dark.

 _For now_ , he thinks, pressing a kiss to San’s golden head. _Just for now._

*

**Author's Note:**

> this started off as PLOT! and then i scrapped most of that and replaced it with more of the dreamy imagery i was picturing when i first started writing and ya know what i think i like it a lot better.
> 
> hopefully it worked~
> 
> come flail with me on twitter, if you like. ♡ 
> 
> [main account](https://twitter.com/aintitnifty) | [writing account](https://twitter.com/magnificentbirb)


End file.
